Wheeling, W. Va. – After wrapping up their home schedule a week ago, the Wheeling University Football team (5-4, 4-2) hits the road for the final two weeks of the regular season. The run kicks off on Saturday as the team heads to Parkersburg, West Virginia to take on Glenville State University with kick-off at 1 PM. The game will be played at Parkersburg Erikson South High School due to renovations to Glenville State's stadium, and the Cardinals are looking to keep their momentum rolling.
Last time out, the Cardinals wrapped up the home portion of their schedule when they welcomed in Concord. It was a game ruled by special teams, with the unit accounting for each of the first six Cardinal points of the day. Wheeling would lead 6-0 after one quarter of play and on their first drive of the second quarter, the offense would find the endzone for the first time, extending their lead to 13-0. Concord would get on the board on the ensuing drive but Wheeling headed into half with a 13-7 advantage. The Mountain Lions would add the first score of the second half on their first possession and took their first lead of the night at 14-13. It would be the special teams unit that came through once again, hitting a pair of clutch field goals at the end of the third and start of the fourth quarter. They would put the game on ice with a touchdown with just 2:44 to play and, despite one final Concord score, Wheeling was able to hold on for the 26-21 win.
Leading the effort for the Cardinals was kicker Conor Fitzpatrick, who accounted for 16 of the team's 26 points in the effort. His biggest contribution would come in the kicking game, where he went 4-5 on Field goal attempts, including a 3-4 mark from inside 25 yards. The effort helped him set the single-game field goal record, formerly held by Matthew Greenwood, as he officially wrote his name in the record books. Coming into the game, Fitzpatrick only had four field goals entering Saturday's game and was able to match that in one game. It brought his season average to 8-15 (53.3%) on the season, including a 4-5 mark between the 20-29 yard mark. Along with his field goal success, Fitzpatrick would add two big PAT attempts on the day. Fitzpatrick looks to build on his success over the final two weeks of the regular season as he continues to lead the special teams unit.
The field goal record was not the only one to fall thanks to the efforts of Jefferson Bretanys-Desca. While the junior did not hit the Double-Digit tackle mark, he still led the team with eight total tackles, one solo and seven assisted. It was enough to earn him the single season tackle record, hitting 91.0 for the season. He broke the old record held by former Cardinal Jack Parry, And has two more weeks left to further cement himself in the Cardinal record books. He has been the leading tackler for the Cardinals in each of the last four games and continues to be a force in the middle of the field. Finishing just behind him was Kameron Reynolds, who earn the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Defensive Player of the Week. He would finish with 7.0 tackles three solo and four assisted, while forcing a fumble and finishing with an interception on the day. Both of his turnovers would come in the first half And brought Concord offensive drives to a halt to keep Wheeling in front.
With two games remaining on the regular season schedule, Wheeling still has an outside chance of qualifying for their first ever NCAA DII playoff berth. Wheeling currently sits at 5-4 overall and they're just one loss outside of the regional rankings. There were two teams from the MEC in last week's poll, with Frostburg State (7-3) sitting 8th while Charleston (6-3) sits 10th. Wheeling currently sits in a jumbled race in the MEC, sitting in a three-way tie for third with Glenville State and West Virginia State. All three teams sit with a 4-2 record in conference play, and a win on Saturday would help Wheeling LeapFrog the pioneers in the standings. They currently sit just one game behind both Frostburg State and Charleston for the top spot in the conference. With this year's MEC Champion earning an automatic bid to the postseason, Wheeling would have to win out and get some help along the way. Head Coach Zac Bruney And his team are taking it one game at a time starting with Glenville State on Saturday.
The Match-up
The Cardinals and Pioneers are meating for the sixth time in program history, With Glenville State leading the all-time series at 3-2. Of the three Cardinal losses, two of those have come on the road where they hold a 1-2 record in three previous trips. Wheeling is averaging 21.8 points per game in the all-time series With each of the last three games being decided by two scores or less. Wheeling is looking to break a series of two straight losses to Glenville State as they continue pushing through the final two weeks of the regular season.
The last meeting between the two teams came back on November 2nd, 2024, In a game won by the Pioneers 28-21. Wheeling made a late game push, scoring two fourth quarter touchdowns, but it wasn't enough to complete the comeback effort. Landon Lutz led the offense going 16-30 while throwing for 223 yards and two touchdowns. Stephen Mitchell would be his top target, pulling in five catches for 75 yards, while Dawaun Green led the ground game with eight carries for 69 yards and a touchdown. On the defensive side, former Cardinal Jack Parry led the effort with 9.0 total tackles, one tackle for loss, and a half a sack.
The Details
Kickoff for Saturday's game is scheduled for 1 PM at Parkersburg Erickson South High School. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with live stats by clicking HERE.
